An Antidote Europe-funded study demonstrates the harmful effects of mixtures of the pesticides pyrimethanil, cyprodinil and fludioxonil.

A scientific study conducted by Aston University in Britain and funded by NGOs Future Generations and Antidote Europe has been published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS One. The study demonstrates the harmful effects of mixtures of some commonly used pesticides. The aim of the study was to evaluate health risks of chemical mixtures versus single pesticides.

Each of us, regardless of age, is exposed daily to dozens of synthetic chemicals whose toxicity as mixtures is largely unknown. Future Generations and Antidote Europe joined forces to address this urgent problem. The two organisations commissioned a university team to test the effects of different combinations of three common fungicides (pyrimethanil, cyprodinil and fludioxonil) on human glial and neuronal cells in culture, which are representative of the human central nervous system. The results of this scientific study were recently published under the title: A preliminary investigation into the impact of a pesticide combination on human neuronal and glial cell lines in vitro, MD Coleman et al.

Says Professor Michael Coleman, who led the study: “This work shows that some pesticides, alone or in combination, can induce stress and significantly affect human cells. They can also interfere with basic cellular processes such as energy production. These effects were demonstrated at concentrations similar to those found in our food. This work suggests that we should make greater efforts to restrict pesticide use in crops intended for food.”